Petunia plant named ‘Keiametsum’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Petunia  plant named ‘Keiametsum’, characterized by its outwardly spreading and decumbent plant habit; vigorous and freely branching growth habit; freely flowering habit; red purple-colored flowers; long flowering period; and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Petunia×hybrida.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Keiametsum’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Petuniaplant, botanically known as Petunia×hybrida, and hereinafter referred toby the cultivar name Keiametsum.

The new Petunia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventors in Sawara, Chiba, Japan. The objective of the breedingprogram is to create new Petunias with numerous flowers with attractiveflower colors.

The new Petunia originated from a cross-pollination made by theInventors in September, 2000 of two unidentified proprietary Petuniaselections, not patented. The new Petunia was selected as a single plantfrom the resulting progeny of the cross-pollination by the Inventors ina controlled environment in Yokaichi, Shiga, Japan.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings in acontrolled environment in Sawara, Chiba, Japan since September, 2002 hasshown that the unique features of this new Petunia are stable andreproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar Keiametsum have not been observed under allpossible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature and light intensitywithout, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Keiametsum’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Keiametsum’ as a new and distinct Petuniacultivar:

-   -   1. Outwardly spreading and decumbent plant habit.    -   2. Vigorous and freely branching growth habit.    -   3. Freely flowering habit.    -   4. Red purple-colored flowers.    -   5. Long flowering period.    -   6. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Petunia differ from plants of the female parentselection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Petunia are more decumbent and not as        outwardly spreading as plants of the female parent selection.    -   2. Plants of the new Petunia are shorter than plants of the        female parent selection.    -   3. Plants of the new Petunia have smaller flowers than plants of        the female parent selection.

Plants of the new Petunia differ from plants of the male parentselection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Petunia are taller and broader than plants        of the male parent selection.    -   2. Plants of the new Petunia have larger flowers than plants of        the male parent selection.

Plants of the new Petunia can be compared to plants of the cultivarRevolution Brilliantpink, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,914. Inside-by-side comparisons conducted in Sawara, Chiba, Japan, plants ofthe new Petunia differed from plants of the cultivar RevolutionBrilliantpink in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Petunia had smaller leaves and flowers than        plants of the cultivar Revolution Brilliantpink.    -   2. Plants of the new Petunia and the cultivar Revolution        Brilliantpink differed in flower coloration.    -   3. Plants of the new Petunia flowered longer than plants of the        cultivar Revolution Brilliantpink.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors ofthe new Petunia.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective viewof a typical flowering plant of ‘Keiametsum’ grown in a container.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view oftypical flowers of ‘Keiametsum’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations andmeasurements describe plants grown in Sawara, Chiba, Japan, in 15-cmcontainers for about four months in an outdoor nursery during the summerwith day temperatures about 25° C. and night temperatures about 18° C.Plants were pinched one time in the early summer. Color references aremade to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2001 Edition,except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Petunia×hybrida cultivar Keiametsum.-   Parentage:    -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Unidentified proprietary Petunia            selection, not patented.        -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Unidentified proprietary Petunia            selection, not patented.-   Propagation:    -   -   Type cutting.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.        -   Time to initiate roots.—About one week at 20 to 25° C.        -   Time to develop roots.—About three weeks at 20 to 25° C.        -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous, fleshy; light brown in            color.        -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching.-   Plant description:    -   -   Plant and growth habit.—Annual flowering plant;            indeterminate; outwardly spreading, decumbent and trailing            plant habit. Viscid and glandular pubescent. Vigorous growth            habit. Freely branching habit with lateral branches            developing potentially at every node.        -   Plant height.—About 15 cm.        -   Plant diameter.—About 47 cm.        -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 31.4 cm. Diameter: About            2.4 mm. Internode length: About 1.3 cm. Texture: Pubescent.            Color: 144B.        -   Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple;            sessile. Length: About 5 cm. Width: About 2.3 cm. Shape:            Elliptic. Apex: Obtuse. Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire.            Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Sparsely pubescent;            viscid. Venation pattern: Pinnate; reticulate. Color:            Developing and fully expanded foliage, upper surface: 144A.            Developing and fully expanded foliage, lower surface: 144B.            Venation, upper and lower surfaces: Similar to lamina.-   Flower description:    -   -   Flower type and habit.—Single salverform flowers; flowers            face mostly upward or outward; axillary. Flowers not            persistent. Freely flowering habit.        -   Natural flowering season.—Long flowering period, plants            flower from spring through late autumn in Japan; flowering            continuous during this period.        -   Flower longevity on the plant.—About five days.        -   Fragrance.—Faint.        -   Flower size.—Diameter: About 6.8 cm. Length: About 4.5 cm.        -   Flower buds.—Length: About 3.5 cm. Diameter: About 1.5 cm.            Shape: Cylindrical. Color: N79B.        -   Corolla.—Quantity/arrangement: Five petals; fused,            funnelform. Petal length: About 2.7 cm. Petal width: About            3.1 cm. Petal shape: Roughly spatulate or fan-shaped. Petal            apex: Cuspidate. Petal margin: Entire; slightly undulate.            Petal texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth; satiny.            Color: Petal, when developing and fully expanded, upper            surface: N74A; towards the base and venation, close to N78A.            Petal, when developing and fully expanded, lower surface:            N78C; venation, 79B. Flower throat (inside): N87A; venation,            79B. Flower tube (outside): N79B; venation, 79B.        -   Sepals.—Arrangement/appearance: Single whorl of five sepals            fused at base, star-shaped. Length: About 1 cm. Width: About            3 mm. Shape: Narrowly oblong. Apex: Rounded. Margin: Entire.            Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent. Color,            immature and mature, upper surface: 144A. Color, immature            and mature, lower surface: 144B.        -   Peduncles.—Length: About 1.5 cm. Width: About 1.4 mm.            Strength: Moderately strong. Texture: Pubescent; viscid.            Color: 144B.        -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity: Five per flower.            Anther shape: Ellipsoidal. Anther size: About 2 mm by            1.4 mm. Anther color: 91B. Pollen amount: Moderate. Pollen            color: 97B. Pistils: Quantity: One per flower. Pistil            length: About 1.4 cm. Style length: About 1.3 cm. Style            color: 143D. Stigma shape: Elliptic. Stigma color: 143B.            Ovary color: 143C.        -   Seeds.—Diameter: About 0.5 mm. Color: N186C.-   Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Petunia have not been    noted to be resistant to specific pathogens and pests common to    Petunia.-   Garden performance: Plants of the new Petunia have been observed to    have good garden performance and tolerate rain, wind and tolerated    temperatures from 5 to 35° C.

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant named ‘Keiametsum’, asillustrated and described.